Which jobs need the engine out

Jobs the factory manual does with the engine removed

These guides are the TIS steps, written for an engine that is already out of the car or on a stand. For taking the engine out itself see Engine removal and installation (NA) and Engine removal and installation (Turbo), and for separating the gearbox once it is out see Gearbox removal with the engine out.

• Crankshaft and bearing clearances: NA and Turbo. The titles of the TIS pages say "Engine Removed". The Turbo guide also notes that a four-post hoist is needed to raise the car when taking off the engine undertray.
• Crankshaft seals, pulley, sprocket and pickup: NA and Turbo. Both guides call this engine-out work. Owners disagreed about the rear main (crank) seal, below.
• Balancer shafts: NA removal and installation is an engine-out job in the TIS, and owners said the NA deletion means taking the engine out. The Turbo shaft unit and backlash check is also labelled engine-out work: Balancer shaft unit and backlash (Turbo).
• Pistons, rings and block: NA piston rings and cylinder block flatness and Turbo pistons, con-rods and piston rings are labelled engine-out work. Owners did the Turbo job another way, below.
• Camshafts and valves (Turbo): Camshafts, pulleys, oil seal and sensor and Valves, installation height and head flatness are labelled "engine-out or head-off work".

Head and sump off, engine left in the car

• Turbo pistons and rods. Owners said you can change standard-size pistons in a Turbo with the head and sump off, without taking the engine out. In 2009 an owner asked whether it was an engine-out job, and another said that for standard-size parts you can just take the head and sump off. See Pistons and rods: what owners fitted. One owner in the breather thread said the same about rings. See Crankcase breather and PCV.
• Turbo balancer shaft deletion. Owners fitted the Courtenay Sport kit with the engine in the car and the sump off. On the NA it is a different job and owners said it means taking the engine out. See Balancer shaft deletion.

Gearbox and clutch

• Clutch and flywheel. The Vauxhall manual tells you to remove the engine, which is why dealers charge so much. Specialists and owners drop the gearbox instead, after taking one side of the rear suspension out of the way, and the rear clam can stay on, although one owner said it is much easier with the clam off. One specialist said they had it down to 12 hours and that they take the engine out to avoid any grief. See Clutch replacement: dropping the gearbox and Clutch choice.
• Clutch slave cylinder. It is mounted on the gearbox, so the gearbox has to come out. This can be done from underneath, without removing the engine. One owner suggested tilting the engine and gearbox by loosening the offside engine mount, and another said the downpipe has to come off. The threads didn't settle it. See Clutch hydraulics.

Done from underneath or through the arch, engine in place

• Turbo replacement. In 2020 two owners confirmed you can take the turbo off from underneath with the clam on and the engine in place. Access is tight and the exhaust has to come off. See Turbo replacement.
• Water pump. Done with the clam on by several owners, from the driver's side rear arch or from underneath with the wheel and arch liner out. One garage undid the engine mount and jacked the engine up slightly. One owner had his done with the engine out. Supercharged cars are harder. See Water pump replacement.
• Turbo timing belt. Done with the engine in the car in about 2.5 hours by the author, with a jack under the sump to support the engine while the mount is removed. See Turbo cam belt change.
• Engine mounts. The near side is reached from the wheel arch, and the off side holds the engine up. Owners supported the engine with a jack, and some lifted it a few millimetres with a breaker bar. See Engine mount replacement.
• Alternator. It comes out from underneath. See Alternator testing and replacement.
• Turbo recirculation valve. Owners reached it from underneath with the undertray off, through the driver's wheel arch, or from above by removing the intake pipe and upper heat shield. See Turbo recirculation valve.

Where owners disagreed

Rear main (crank) seal. In the oil leak thread one owner said a failed crank seal is usually a big job that needs the whole rotating assembly out, though you could in theory do it from underneath with a good ramp. Another said the crank and rods don't come out but the flywheel has to come off. A third said the Z22SE seal presses in with no problem. Owners disagreed, and we have no guide to doing it. See Engine oil leak: finding the source.